*Import Conditions Review (ICR) for Foie Gras

The Department’s Animal and Biological Import Assessment Branch (ABIAB) is currently undertaking an Import Conditions Review (ICR) to contribute to the delivery of a key initiative in the Australian Government’s 2015 Agriculture Competitiveness White Paper.

The objective of this project is to ensure the department’s import conditions, associated with animal and biological products, promote efficient processes for the department and clients, and are effective at managing biosecurity risks.

To achieve this we will:

· review import conditions to ensure they are clear, written in plain English, easily accessible, and consistent with policy and legislation

· consider removing the requirement for import permits where practicable

· ensure import conditions are consistent between similar risk commodities

· ensure entry management pathways are clear

· aligning the import conditions with the profiling and referral mechanisms

· develop targeted compliance strategies

The project will not review the science or policies underpinning import conditions.

We are seeking submissions regarding current issues or concerns with respect to the importation of Foie gras which will include the following BICON case: Foie gras for human consumption

We will contact you again and give you the opportunity to provide further feedback on the proposed changes, once they are developed.

If you wish to submit comments regarding Foie gras please provide them via one of the following methods:

*Here are FSANZ’s media issues for the week:

General

National Geographic has named Wellington among six top global cities for food lovers in an effort to gauge “the best eats on (almost) every continent”. Read more.

Labelling

Winemakers in Spain are frustrated that their new style of wine that is coloured blue using grape skin extracts is still banned from being labelled as wine due to European legislation lacking an appropriate category to list it under, even though thebeverage’s entire composition is wine. Read more.

Food safety

Would you know what to do with the food in your fridge or freezer after you lost power? This article has suggestions for what to keep or toss after a blackout.

A woman has ‘broken the internet’ after describing a photo she posted of her meal of under-cooked chicken strips as ‘medium rare’, attracting a barrage of food safety warnings. Read more.

The latest back to school lunchbox food safety advice has urged parents to include an ice brick or frozen water bottle when packing school lunches during the hot summer period to reduce the risk of bacteria growth. Read the media release.

Food regulation

A minister has suggested that the recent outbreak of white spot disease that has threatened to destroy a third of Australia’s farmed prawn industry could be blamed on seafood importers knowingly selling diseased goods. Read more.

Diet and nutrition

One barrier to reducing meat consumption is the common belief that we need it to meet protein requirements, but did you know that potatoes, peas and peanuts are all relatively high sources of it? This article investigates how much protein we really need in our diets.

An American study has found the number of children in the US that regularly consume food and beverages containing low-calorie artificial sweeteners has jumped 200% since 1999, and most parents and many experts are challenging whether it’s such a good idea. Read more.

How much do you know about hemp seeds? This article takes a look at their effects on health.

This nutrition expert says that a diet heavy in plant food—with or without animal products—is the healthiest approach to eating. Read more.

GMO

In a media statement GE-free New Zealand says a ‘total re-evaluation’ of safety tests used for GE foods is needed following research finding a ‘low-risk’ herbicide commonly used in GE food production actually causes non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in rats. Read more.

Quirky

Would you eat a 3D printed pizza? This article looks at the use of 3D printers to make food.